Staffordshire mum says people must be able to talk about birth trauma
It's after we revealed that birth trauma's affecting 30 thousand women every year - with 1 in 20 getting PTSD.
A mum from Staffordshire who experienced a traumatic pregnancy says it's vital we have more conversations about the issue.
It's after earlier this week we told you how 30,000 women a year experience trauma before, during or after labour.
Charlotte Manning is from Tittensor. Her son was born and instead of hearing him crying, he was silent, put on oxygen, many more people filled room to work on him, he then went to NICU and Charlotte didn’t see him for 12 hours.
"The shocking part was how it wasn't like I imagined it to be for so long. He was put on a table, huge mask on his tiny face and I really couldn't see much." she said.
"In some cases, husbands and their partners can't talk about it as they've experienced it from a different perspective than the woman. They've been the ones up and down, the ones who can see and who've gone to the NICU to see the poorly baby. It's not talked about and it needs to be, just as infertility is not talked about. There needs to be a pathway for men and women to both discuss their experiences."
Calls for better support
Charlotte added: "I could hear through the curtains beside me all these people with their babies and comforting them.
"There needs to be a ward or area for people who don't have their babies with them, either because they've gone to NICU or in very sad cases they've lost their babies. It's cruel and unfair."
What is birth trauma?
Her experience echoes that of thousands of women each year, who come away from childbirth having gone through trauma.
Each case can be very different. Some reflect very long or very short labours, others are about physical issues while some are to do with thoughts and emotions.
Some birth trauma can be about concerns for baby's health, while others are about issues with the level of care on offer to mums at the time.
Around one in 20 new mums will develop PTSD as a result of their experience, and around 1% of birth partners also develop issues as a result of what they've witnessed from a bedside.
Where to get support if you're affected by birth trauma
If you've been impacted by birth trauma, and want to see what help is out there, the Birth Trauma Association has email support and a helpline you can call. They can also provide access to a private Facebook group.
Bliss offers support for people affected by sick or premature babies.
And there's more information about birth trauma, and further links to support via Make Birth Better.
If you want to find mental health services where you are, visit the Hub of Hope.
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